


A New Way of Life

by Youtuberficwriter



Category: Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Eventual Smut, M/M, Multi, Rating May Change, Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:14:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29929806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Youtuberficwriter/pseuds/Youtuberficwriter
Summary: DilemmaArt:https://dilemmaart.tumblr.com/https://asktrio516.tumblr.com/Exdraghunt:https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exdraghunt
Relationships: Edward/James (Thomas the Tank Engine), Gordon/Henry (Thomas the Tank Engine), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Thomas/Percy (Thomas the Tank Engine)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Introduction

Hello members of The Thomas the Tank Engine community! This is meant to be an introduction to my human Thomas and Friends AU! I have been in this fandom for a while now, and I always loved the concept of making Thomas and his friends into humans. Unfortunately, I feel like there is some what of a lack of well-written human Thomas and Friends AUs that also include shipping. So, I decided to write my own! I hope it turns out well because it has been a long time since I've written any fanfiction and this is the first time I'm posting to AO3. I'm a little rusty to say the least. But, I really want this to be a thing so it is happening!

This post is totally optional to read; you can skip it and dive head first into the actual story if you'd like. I'm just posting it to provide some clarification about the story and my personal preferences:

1\. The Plot/Characters:  
I think this is going to be the first part of a series. In this AU, even though Lady is a part of it, the events of the Thomas and the Magic Railroad movie didn't happen. In this, Lady is like a train deity who is supposed to watch over all engines, can sort of control the magic which brings machines to life, and she and Thomas have never met face to face. The story just flows better that way. As for the overall plot, this section is going to be about the engines being stuck as humans and having to adapt, thus hilarious misunderstandings ensue. They will be able to turn back eventually, but until then they are trapped in these new forms.

For the characters, I want to mostly focus on the main Steam Team for now. If you don't see a character you really like included (*cough Duck *cough) don't worry! They will most likely have cameos later down the line and possibly even whole separate stories about them. Trust me, there are plenty of characters that I am dying to write about. I just don't want this first story to be too complicated.

2\. Pairings:  
There will be ships in this AU, as listed in the tags. I just really like these pairings and wanted to write about them, so I'm sorry if they are not your favorites. Also, they will play a large role, so if you're not comfortable shipping Thomas the Tank Engine characters, maybe this isn't the story for you. There will smut later on and other mature themes as well which is why I warned that the rating will change in the future. Finally, I need some help from any readers out there. I really want to pair Emily up with someone, since everyone else in the Steam Team will be getting a partner and I don't want her to be left out! I just don't know who she should be with! If any of you all have some ideas, post them in the comments and I'll choose the one I like the best! However, I am omitting the characters of Toby, Diesel, Donald and Douglas because I already have pairings in mind for them. I'm excited to see what you suggest! 

3\. Criticism:  
I am totally open to any critiques or feedback that you might have, so long as it is constructive and not something like: "I don't like character A paired up with character B because so and so! They should be with character C!". Remember, this is my story and my opinions. If you have any suggestions, just leave them in the comments! I will definitely read it!

4\. Shout Outs:  
I just wanted to give some shout outs to two artists that really inspired me in the creation of this! The first is the author named Exdraghunt on AO3! Their Thomas and Friends fanfictions were major inspirations and what got me into the Human AU idea in the first place! The other is an very talented artist called DilemmaArt who has drawn some amazing concept art for human Thomas characters on her AskTrio516 tumblr blog! Her designs heavily influenced how I picture these characters as humans! Go check these people out and show them a lot of love! The links to both of DilemmaArt's blogs and Exdraghunt's AO3 profile will be in the notes at the end!

One last thing: there will not be a consistent upload schedule for this! I will try to get new chapters out as quickly as possible, but I am in college and working so my time to write will be limited. My education always has to be the top priority. 

Alright, I think I've rambled on long enough! I hope you all enjoy this new story!  
Bye!~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DilemmaArt:  
> https://dilemmaart.tumblr.com/  
> https://asktrio516.tumblr.com/
> 
> Exdraghunt:  
> https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exdraghunt


	2. Prolog: Leading Lady

It was a beautiful day on the island of Sodor. The sky was blue, the sun shining, and the birds tweeting their joyous songs. The whistles of the engines could be heard across the land as they worked hard to complete their jobs for the day and please their controller, Sir Topham Hat. Everything was peaceful, but no one realized the great changes that would soon emerge for this small island and its railroad. However, we are getting ahead of ourselves…

This story doesn’t begin here. It starts in a world most believe to be a myth, simply known as the Hidden Railway. And, deep within the tunnels where vibrant hues of greens and yellows sparkle, there resides a very, very special engine. A steam engine to be exact; the one who is said to be the guardian of the rails and all engines that run on them. The glimmering lights reflected off the engine’s maroon livery and golden accents, giving her an almost ethereal glow. Her name spelled out on her side in elegant cursive: Lady.

Normally, Lady would be traveling along her hidden railway which enabled her to go almost anywhere on the planet. During her journeys, she would watch over her fellow engines through invisible windows, making sure all was in order. Lady loved to see the other engines happy and safe. 

Yet, recently, the magic engine had been feeling troubled. Now, she was sitting still in the center of her rail system, brooding over the situation. As years went by, which felt like nothing to her in the physics defying hidden railway, Lady noticed the number of steam engines like herself starting to decrease drastically. As new technologies were discovered, many humans declared steam powered engines to be obsolete and were favoring newer diesel fueled models. As a result, steam engines were being sent to the scrap yards at an alarming rate.

Just the mere thought made Lady shudder. Being labeled useless and subsequently scrapped was the worst nightmare of any engine. It was, unfortunately, an inevitable fate for engines, when they grew too old or worn out to be repaired. Lady and every other engine were well aware of this, though none were happy about it. Yet, now there are steam engines who run perfectly fine being sold for scrap because their owners no longer want or need them, and no one else is willing to take them. 

It pained Lady to see steam engines, or any engines for that matter, treated like mere objects. Some humans were kind and considerate, like Sir Topham Hat on Sodor. Though he was strict, he cared about his engines deeply and refused to send any away for being “obsolete”. But, not all humans were as nice as him, and many considered engines to be nothing more than machines programmed only to serve. Lady let out a wheesh of steam in anger. Even though they are made of metal, engines are not mindless drones but sentient creatures. They have souls and emotions. They can speak, think, and interpret the world as they experience it. Just like humans. Yet, none of that seems to matter.

Lady could no longer stand by and watch as steam engines like her have their fires snuffed out prematurely. She feared that soon steam engines would disappear entirely. But, what could she do? She was unable to leave her hidden railway for long, and couldn’t just halt progress or force all humans to change their ways. Lady was truly at a loss.  
_Think Lady, think!_ she pondered, _There must be some way to save them!_ But, every plan she came up with so far had major flaws that would eventually lead to failure. And, failure was not an option in this case; the lives of all steam engines depended on her. The engine sighed, disheartened. Humans wouldn’t treat other humans like they do engines! If only I could give engines the same rights!

Then there was a sudden spark in her smokebox: what if she could do that? 

You see, all living machines possess a little bit of magic within. It is how they obtain their souls when they are first constructed. However, Lady is quite different. While most only have a tiny portion of magic which forms their souls, Lady is fully powered by it. This strong connection is what allows her to travel on the hidden railway. What if she could use that magic to manipulate her soul and shape it into a new physical form? It sounded crazy, even to her, and it was something she’d never attempted. But, if she could learn how, she would be able to transfer that ability to all engines through the magic! Plus, she was desperate and could think of no other options.  
So, Lady closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She tried to focus on the intense energy thrumming throughout her frame. She felt a sudden shift when she took reign of the magic contained in her soul. It reminded her of when she first learned how to ride the hidden rails. 

Slowly, Lady began to fiddle with the shape of her soul, mentally forcing into a new form. And, she knew exactly what that form would be. She thought of different humans she had witnessed in the past, noting their odd traits and details. Eventually, a clear picture emerged in her smokebox, and she placed all her attention into copying it. Then that true molding started. 

It didn’t feel pleasant. Her smokebox throbbed from the extreme concentration; her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Her frame was shaking, her firebox sparking, and her boiler bubbling. She was beginning to get overwhelmed by the intensity of the situation. She even debated on giving up.  
But, Lady steeled her nerves, determination pushing to the forefront of her mind. She refused to stop, for the sake of her engines. She forced herself onward. Her new form was taking shape now; her plan was coming to fruition. Then, something snapped. It was like Lady’s world had been violently flipped around as an indescribable wave of feeling crashed over her. It was all too much, and the magic engine blacked out.

She wasn’t unconscious for long. Lady’s eyes fluttered open; her surroundings were blurry. Her smokebox pounded, and she felt dizzy, almost like she had driven into some buffers at full speed. Groaning, she rubbed at her face. Then, she paused. 

Slowly, Lady pulled the thing that was touching her face away. By that point, her vision had cleared. In front of her eyes was a human hand, or at least that what she thought it was called, and it was a part of her. She just couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t sure how, but instinctively, she managed to wiggle it. Yep, that was definitely her controlling it. Lady drew her eyes away from the strange appendage, and looked around. She was laying on a cold hard floor encased in a small room by four walls, three of which didn’t connect to the ceiling. Through this opening, Lady could see that she was still in the hidden railway. Cautiously moving her new body into a sitting position, she had to stop and close her eyes as the world spun. After waiting for a few seconds and taking some deep breaths, Lady opened her eyes again and relieved when there was no spinning.

She examined her surroundings further. The wall that did connect to the ceiling had some levers, pipes, dials, and other mechanisms fixed to it. Another had a doorway. Lady scooted her way towards it until her… she was pretty sure humans called them legs… dangled over the edge. Taking the plunge, she slid out. Her… feet?... touched the ground, and she tried to stand up. However, her legs buckled, and she immediately collapsed onto her front. Turning over, Lady gazed at where she had emerged.

She had been in her own bunker! It seemed kind of obvious now that she thought about it because where else would she end up, but she was too shocked to care. She was looking at herself, her engine self but with no face! It was all too surreal. Lady quickly focused back on her new body, trying to distract herself from the absurdity of seeing her engine self sitting there lifeless. Upon further inspection, there were aspects to this form that she hadn’t even noticed earlier. A bunch of long silky golden strands hung around the sides of her face. She had a feeling humans had a name for them, but she couldn’t think of it. She ran her hands across some parts; the surface felt soft and malleable, very different from her metal frame.  
Lady knew she would eventually have to try standing again, so she swallowed her discomfort and moved closer to her engine form. Using the sturdy walls of her frame as support, she managed to drag herself up to a standing position. Carefully, she placed one shaky foot in front of the other, mimicking the motions she had seen humans do countless times. It was harder than it looked. But, with some practice, she got the movement down and was even able to take a few wobbly steps on her own before leaning back on her engine self. 

Her plan had succeeded; she was now a human! “I did it!” Lady exclaimed in excitement. But, her celebration was cut short with the thought: how do I turn back? She pushed down the initial wave of panic, and forced herself to remain calm. Just do the same thing you did to become human, but in reverse! And, that’s what she did. She turned her focus internally and replicated her previous actions, except this time she made a mental image of herself as a train engine. The process was a lot easier than the first time; she didn’t even lose consciousness during the shift. When Lady opened eyes, she was once again an engine. She let out a small sigh of relief.

She decided to practice, and repeatedly switched between the two forms for a while. It took some time, but managed to get the hang of it. She still wasn’t that comfortable in her human form, but believed she would in the future. What mattered right now was that her plan worked and how she was going to implement it on a larger scale. _I can’t just make every engine in the world turn into a human, that would just cause a mass panic! I should start small then work my way up. But, where to begin?_  
It didn’t take long for her to choose a test area. She had always been fond of the island of Sodor and those who inhabited it. With its smaller size, it would be the perfect place to begin enacting her plan. Plus, she knew she could trust Sir Topham Hat to protect her engines. With a whistle of joy, Lady steamed off to the tunnel which would take her to Sodor.

Passing through the magic buffers, Lady came to a stop on some abandoned rails on top of a mountain. The sun was now setting, and most engines had already completed their jobs and returned to their sheds for the night. Using a seer window, Lady looked around the island, trying to find the right engine to give the ability to first. She needed to make sure it worked before giving it to all the Sodorian engines. Eventually her eyes landed on a lone blue tank engine with a yellow number one on his side, who appeared to be on his way home. “He will do.” Lady gleefully decided out loud, “It seems appropriate to start with the number one engine!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you all think of this!
> 
> Also, if you didn't read the Introduction, I mentioned I need help deciding who to pair up Emily with! If you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments below and I'll pick the one I like the best. However, I am omitting the characters Toby, Diesel, Donald and Douglas because I already have pairings in mind for them. I'm excited to see what you come up with!  
> Bye!~


	3. Ch. 1: From Tank Engine to Human

It was a beautiful day on the island of Sodor. The sky was blue, the sun shining, and the birds tweeting their joyous songs. The whistles of the engines could be heard across the land as they worked hard to complete their jobs for the day and please their controller, Sir Topham Hat. 

But, just because it was a beautiful day didn't mean it was a good one, at least not for a certain blue number one tank engine. Allow me to clarify. You see, Thomas' day had been going fine, better than fine even, in the beginning. He was on time for all of his stops along his branch line, and was even able to joke around with Percy while waiting for his passengers at Maithwaite to board. The rest of his jobs had also gone by without any issues; the troublesome trucks were actually well behaved for once. It had been his last job of the day, however, that ended his good luck streak. 

For his final job, Thomas was to go to Brendam Docks and collect some flatbeds full of wooden planks for the construction of a new station house. It should have been simple, but when Thomas arrived, he learned that due to some paperwork problems the ship carrying his cargo could not be unloaded. As the dock manager and captain of the ship tried to figure things out, Thomas was forced to wait. Salty and Porter occasionally tried to cheer him up and provide entertainment, but they also had their own work to do and couldn't spend all their time chatting. At some point, Edward had arrived to collect trucks full of sugar sacks to deliver them to the Sodor cake factory. Thomas informed him of what was going on, and Edward was certainly sympathetic. Paperwork mix ups were a rare occurrence, but when they did happen, there was no way knowing when they would be resolved. It could take a matter of minutes or even hours depending on how bad it was.

"And now, I'm going to be late Edward! All because of stupid paperwork!" Thomas complained as the older blue engine waited for his trucks to be loaded up.

Edward offered him a kind smile, "Keep your chin up, Thomas. I'm sure the dock manager will fix things soon and then you'll be on your way. You just have to be patient." Just then, a worker gave Edward's crew an all clear and the engine had to leave. "Goodbye, Thomas! I'll see you back at Tidmouth soon!", Edward whistled, then was on his way.

"Bye Edward!" Thomas whistled back, uplifted by the encouragement of his mentor. That positivity didn't last long though. The hours dragged by with seemingly no progress, and Thomas was getting fed up. Other engines came and went, and soon he was the only one still there other than Salty and Porter of course. Eventually, Sir Topham Hat arrived and was finally able to sort everything out. Thomas could tell he was cross about the confusion and delay, but thankfully none of his anger was directed towards the tank engine or his crew. Now that the paperwork issues were dealt with, Cranky was allowed to unload the ship, and soon Thomas' train was ready. However, by the time he set out, the sun was already touching the horizon, and Thomas still had to deliver the wood to the construction site. It would probably be dark by the time he got back to Tidmouth Sheds.

There were no other delays during Thomas' journey, which he sent a silent thanks to Lady for. The construction workers were happy when Thomas finally arrived, and immediately began to unpack his train. Yet, despite Thomas making good time, he didn't get there until the sun had dipped below the horizon almost halfway, bathing everything in a pinkish-orange light. He definitely would not make it home before night fall. This made Thomas cranky on his way back. "Cheer up, Thomas!" Bob, his driver, tried to console him while patting the wall of his cab, "We're finished now and will be home soon."

Thomas yawned, "I guess so. I can't believe how such a great day could turn sour so fast!"

His fireman, Peter, chuckled, "That's just how things go sometimes." Thomas just huffed in response.

The tank engine glided along the rails in the light of the setting sun, and he took in the scenery around him. A chilly breeze reminded Thomas that autumn was on its way, and soon the leaves of the trees would become a vibrant array of yellows, reds, and oranges. While Thomas would always prefer summer and spring over fall and winter, he couldn't deny that the cold seasons had their own beauty to them. However, his peaceful musings were cut short by a funny feeling in his boiler. Unexpectedly, pain erupted in his smokebox while his boiler started to bubble and not from the heat emanating from his firebox. He felt terrible! Groaning, Thomas squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the suddenly too bright light.

His crew immediately knew something was wrong, but they didn't get chance to question it because Thomas' brakes randomly deployed. Thomas jerked, and the jarring motion sent Bob and Peter crashing to the floor. "What the hell?" Peter cussed. Bob, meanwhile, reoriented himself and tried to disengage the brakes, but it was almost like something was fighting against him. The result of this battle was Thomas braking on and off in quick lurching movements. His firebox sparked with anxiety and fear over what might be happening to him, but the sharp pain in his smokebox distracted him from it. Eventually, they approached a siding, and Bob managed to maneuver Thomas into it where he came to a complete stop. By this point, Thomas' vision was growing hazy, and dizziness was piled onto his pile of aches and pains. His crew inspected him for any signs of damage, but could find nothing wrong. Yet, when they suggested to Thomas that they should continue on, they were vehemently denied. The engine told them how awful he felt, and that he couldn't even think about starting up again. Peter and Bob shared looks of concern; if Thomas truly felt as bad as he said he did, it would be unwise to go back onto the main rails. That also meant they were stuck there. Peter mentioned that a signal box was not too far up head and that they should both go there to phone for help. Though Bob was reluctant to leave Thomas alone, the getting lower by the minute temperature was enough to convince him to go with Peter. So, they grabbed an emergency lantern in case they didn't arrive before dark, told Thomas goodbye and that they would be back for him soon, then set off.

Thomas sadly watched his crew leave, although the dizziness and pain were making it hard to focus on them, until their figures disappeared into the horizon. A couple minutes passed, but for Thomas, it seemed like hours. The aching in his smokebox got worse, and his vision was starting to black out. An intense wave of drowsiness washed over him, and no matter how hard he resisted, Thomas succumbed to the bliss that was unconsciousness. it took almost an hour for Peter and Bob to reach the signal box and phone for help.

Meanwhile, at Tidmouth Sheds the rest of the engines had already arrived and were ready to settle in for the night. However, they all noticed that Thomas was missing and as it began to get dark, some were becoming worried for the blue tank engine. "When do you think Thomas will get here?" Percy asked while staring at the entrance, hoping Thomas would show up soon.

"I don't know, Percy..." Edward replied, "The last time I saw him, he was stuck at Brendam Docks because of a paperwork mix up." 

Henry shuddered at the mention of paperwork. Last year, the Flying Kipper had been delayed for over an hour because the order sheets had gotten misplaced. "For all we know, he might still be there!" he fretted.

"I highly doubt that." Emily responded, trying to calm Henry's nerves, "He is probably on his way here, right now as we speak."

"I don't know why..." Percy murmured, "But, I have a bad feeling about this."

Gordon scoffed, "There is no reason to get so worked up over this. It is not like Thomas has never been late returning before. He will arrive when he does. The only thing this worrying is doing, is keeping important engines from resting!"

"Yeah!" James agreed, "Some of us engines need our beauty sleep!" Edward couldn't help but roll his eyes as the red engine's over-dramatics. All conversation was cut short, however; by the arrival of Sir Topham Hat's signature blue car. The engines immediately stood to attention when the Fat Controller stepped out; he did not look pleased. 

"I just received a call from a signal box on the outskirts of Vicarstown. Apparently, Thomas has broken down and is residing in a siding not far from there. I need one of you to go fetch him and his crew, and bring them to the Steamworks."

"Sir, what happened?" Edward asked, concern audible in his voice.

"I'm not sure... His brakes suddenly engaged, and matter how hard his driver tried to release them, they continued to lock up. According to his crew, they couldn't find anything overtly wrong with him, but Thomas kept insisting he was in pain." the Fat Controller answered while scratching his head, "Now, who wants to be the one to go get him?"

It was Percy who volunteered first, "I'll do it, Sir!"

Sir Topham Hat was a little surprised, "Are you certain Percy? Remember, you have mail to deliver tonight."

"I don't care!" Percy exclaimed, "Thomas is my best friend; I'm not going to let him stay out in the cold and dark any longer than he has to! Besides, he'd do the same for me!"

"Alright then." the Fat Controller shrugged, "I would recommend picking up Thomas first, then grabbing his crew from the signal box on your way back. Return here once you drop Thomas off at the Steamworks. I'll put in a call to his crew to let them know you are coming." With that, the Fat Controller got back into his car and drove off. Percy departed not long after. The rest of the engines stayed silent as they watched him leave. Now all of them were feeling worried about their friend.

"I hope he's alright..." Percy commented while racing to the scene.

"I'm sure he's fine." his fireman, Hank, soothed and rubbed the inside of his cab, "Sometimes mechanical failures just happen. We'll be there soon, and bring him to the Steamworks to get whatever is wrong fixed." While Percy appreciated the comfort, a part of him was still deeply concerned for his best friend. By the time Percy passed the signal box where Thomas' crew was stationed, the moon was steadily rising in the sky and the stars were out. 

"Don't worry Thomas, we're coming to get you!" 

Speaking of Thomas, about a half hour before Percy set out, the engine had slowly regained consciousness. He groaned, and tried to focus his blurry vision. The world was spinning around him; Thomas had to close his eyes to keep from feeling nauseous. After a few deep breaths, Thomas opened his eyes again. He instantly realized something wasn't right. He couldn't see he sky above him, just a grayish ceiling. He was in a dim room of some kind, but it wasn't like a shed; it was far too small and cramped. Also, Thomas was really, really cold which in itself wasn't that unusual. After all, engines could feel cold, but typically it took them being in snowy/freezing conditions for hours with no fire in their firebox. He couldn't have been out here for that long, and the weather shouldn't be that nearly bad at this time of the year. 

Everything just felt off. His position was wrong; it was like his wheel were numb; his boiler wouldn't bubble; his firebox wouldn't spark; he was sore all over. Now that he was regaining his awareness, Thomas couldn't help the panic that started to set in. What had happened to him? He remembered feeling pain, refusing to move because of it, his crew leaving, and then nothing... He finally stopped staring at the ceiling, and decided to take in his surroundings. What he saw when looked forward reinforced his fear that something was terrible wrong. With his limited range of visibility, he could see what he thought were parts of a human body. The shock and panic of the sight were enough to jump start him into motion, a lot more motion than he should ever be capable of as an engine. 

Thomas bolted upright, and started to hyperventilate as he took in the fact that these human body parts were all connected to him. He instinctively raised his newly acquired shaking hands... he was certain humans called these things hands... and moved the digits on them. They were definitely a part of him. Then Thomas let out a high pitched scream! He also saw in front of him a wall with an opening that led outside; the dark pinkish-purple color of the sky indicated the sun had fully set. He immediately threw himself towards it, desperate to escape the claustrophobic room! But, his movements were clumsy, and he tumbled out onto the dirt.

Thomas attempted to turn over, though it was a struggle. He was momentarily distracted by the weird feeling of grass tickling his... skin?... and rocks painfully digging into his front. Eventually, he got his new body to cooperate and forced himself to flip onto his back. What greeted him was a chilling image; he once again screamed in terror. It was him! Except, it also wasn't him because he was sitting on the ground as a human. It was his engine self, sitting there cold and lifeless. He must be having a nightmare; that was the only explanation for this! "Wake up! Please wake up!" Thomas yelled; he even slapped himself a few times with uncoordinated hands. But, no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't wake up because this was no dream.

The former blue tank engine drew his new legs up and wrapped his arms around them, curling up into a ball. Shivering, Thomas sat there not knowing what to do as his breaths formed puffs of steam. He went over his situation again: he was alone with no knowledge of when help would arrive; he was somehow a human and staring at his empty husk of a frame; he was freezing and gasping for air. What should he do?! _Okay, okay. Calm down Thomas. Panicking is not going to make things better. You need to find your crew or someone else who can help, simple. Peter said there was a signal box not far from here, so that's where I should go!_ But, Thomas' plan was easier said than done because walking was hard.

Uncurling from a ball, but keeping his legs bent in front of him, Thomas tried to stand up. Unfortunately, it took him many attempts to actually get his feet, the human equivalent of wheels as far as Thomas was concerned, under him. After his seventh try, Thomas shook his head in frustration, "Alright, Thomas, you can do this! Humans walk around all the time! If they can do it, so can you! Eighth times the charm!" He placed his hands behind himself and, using the ground as leverage, managed to push his lower half up. Using his hands as support, he slowly moved his upper body while leaning forward, so most of his weight was now on his legs. He felt much stabler in this position, and started to push up with his leg joints; he couldn't remember what they were called. If Thomas had scooted closer to his engine self before beginning the whole process, it probably would have gone much faster since he could have grabbed onto his frame and used it to haul himself up. Honestly though, Thomas would barely look at his old self without freaking out, let alone touch it. So, he decided against approaching it. 

It took some effort, but Thomas eventually was able to fully straighten his legs. He was standing! Thomas felt excitement rush through him. His moment of celebration was cut short, however, when he leaned to far back and nearly tipped over. Frantically, he leaned the other way, and almost threw himself onto his face. Thankfully, he managed to stay upright, and maintained his balance by keeping his arms straight out. He didn't know how he knew to do that, but it definitely made him feel more stable so he wasn't going to question it. _This is worse than having a wobbly wheel!_ Thomas thought indignantly. Then he looked down at himself by accident, and the sight made him wrinkle his nose. _Cinders and Ashes, I didn't realize how odd human bodies look!_

Despite his morbid curiosity, Thomas forced himself to look away and, instead, face the direction his crew had departed, "Okay, now just one foot in front of the other! Just like how you've seen humans do it." His first step was small and shaky, but to him, it was a triumph. Although, to an average person, he probably looked ridiculous. But that didn't matter right now; what did matter was making progress. Slowly, he stumbled along, almost falling multiple times, but he managed to stay standing.

Thankfully, Thomas got used to walking pretty quickly, and soon was taking faster steps. He only needed to sometimes hold his arms straight out to keep balance now, and Thomas was proud of this fact. However, that didn't mean his journey had suddenly become easy. There were plenty of other problems. His entire being was cold; he wrapped his arms around himself to conserve some heat and shivered. He even had bumps forming on his skin which was a horrifying sight, so he steadfastly ignored it. His feet were another issue all on their own: they were freezing and started to hurt after a while from walking through the grass and over rocks. Finally, he was growing tired which was a surprise. As an engine, Thomas could pull heavy trucks full of scrap or other materials and be totally fine afterwards. But as a human, him just taking steps was an exhaustive task. "I have t-to-to keep g-going." he chattered, forcing himself onward. 

He had made decent progress towards the signal box, when he saw a bright light illuminating the darkness. For a brief moment, Thomas had thought he had died as that was what a bright light normally meant. But, quickly realized that that was not the case at all. It was the lamp of an oncoming train, most likely the one sent to rescue his engine self! As the light drew nearer, Thomas began to shout and wave his arms around frantically, desperate to be noticed. He even tried jumping, but managed only a few hops before falling onto his bottom with a harsh thud. It was worth it though, because it worked! The train was slowing down, and Thomas could now see that it was Percy! "P-Percy! Thank Lady it's you!" Thomas exclaimed as he struggled to get back up. 

Percy was so preoccupied about reaching Thomas, he wasn't even aware of the strange figure jumping up and down off to his left. His crew did though, and David, his driver, immediately applied the brakes which was a surprise to the small green engine. "Why are we stopping? We're almost there!" Percy asked, but his crew didn't answer. As he came to a gradual stop, Percy could swear he heard his name be said. "H-hello?" he called out nervously. Meanwhile, his crew were already getting out to investigate. 

"Who's out here?!" Hank yelled as David searched around with a lantern. 

"I'm over here!" someone responded. Following the sound of the voice, the two were shocked to see a young man with black hair and grayish skin sitting naked on the ground. "Finally, I thought help would never come!" he remarked and appeared to be having a hard time standing up. 

David and Hank looked at each other wearily. "Ahem," David cleared his throat, "Sir? Who are you and what are you doing out here naked!? Are you alright?"

"No, I am not alright! Look at me, I'm one of you! A human!"

That was not the response the two men were expecting. "Okay," David tried again, "What is your name?"

The stranger looked at them like they had grown extra heads, "What do you mean "what's my name"? I'm Thomas, Thomas the Tank Engine!"

David and Hank once again stared at each other in bewilderment. Hank twirled his finger in a circular motion next to his head, a gesture neither Thomas or Percy understood. But, David knew exactly what it meant. "Sir," he began, "You're going to have to come with us."

"O-okay." Thomas didn't like how cautious the driver's tone was. When Thomas tried to get up again, David and Hank noticed his struggling.

"Um," Hank commented, "Do you need assistance?"

Thomas grunted and replied, "Yes, actually. That would be nice." Hank looked at David who just shrugged, then bent down and grabbed the stranger by the arms. He felt cold to the touch, meaning he had been outside for a while. With a great heave, Hank pulled the man up and was able to get him standing. However, standing meant everything was revealed. David instantly turned away, cheeks turning red. Hank was also incredibly uncomfortable seeing another man on full display, so he unbuttoned his worker jacket. 

While quickly giving it to the man, Hank kept his eyes firmly planted on the dirt below. "Here. Put this on!" he commanded. Thomas grabbed hold of the offered clothing piece, feeling the soft fabric between his fingers. He also noticed neither Hank nor David would look at him. He was confused but follow Hank's order, slipping on the jacket and buttoning it like he had seen other crew men do. Although it did take a couple of tries for him to figure out how the buttons worked. As soon as Thomas was covered, David and Hank both looked at him again. It was like a switch had been flipped. "Alright, now follow us." Hank directed. 

But when they saw the stranger try to walk, it was almost like watching a newborn deer. David decided to take pity on the poor young man, handing the lantern to Hank and wrapped Thomas' arm around his shoulder to provide additional support. Thomas was grateful for the action because he was really worn out and his legs as well as his feet felt sore. The two led Thomas to Percy's cab and helped him inside, all while the little green engine questioned what was happening. The former blue engine sat on the hard metal floor and soaked in the heat coming from Percy's firebox. 

Once the man was safely seated, David began reversing Percy down the tracks and back the way they came. "Wait!" Percy cried out, startled by the sudden change of direction, "Where are we going? What about Thomas?!"

"I'm right her--" Thomas tried to answer, hoping to soothe his friend's worries, but Hank spoke over him.

"Thomas will need to wait for a while longer. We need to get this man somewhere secure and warm as quick as possible. He is in dire need of help!" Percy was not happy about leaving his best friend to wait in the dark alone for some human stranger, however; he also knew that Hank was serious. And, when Hank gets serious, it is always for a good reason. So, Percy sighed and didn't complain as they drove back to the signal box.

Thomas again attempted to make his presence known, "But, I am--" yet he was shushed again, this time by David.

"Don't worry, Sir. You're safe, just relax and warm up as much as possible." Clearly no one was willing to listen to him, so he begrudgingly stayed quiet. At least he had Percy's roaring firebox to take comfort in during the ride.

Up on a hill and out of sight, Lady was surveying her handy work. She had seen everything: Thomas becoming human, learning to walk, him making his short journey, and finally being picked up by Percy and his crew. "Hmmm." she pondered out loud, as Percy steamed away backwards, "Maybe I should have chosen an engine that was in a shed or something. Oh well, what's done is done. And, now I know it works for other engines and not just myself. Time for the rest!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo, Lady has certainly caused some havoc for Thomas hasn't she? And, things are about to get a lot crazier! 
> 
> See you then!  
> Bye~


End file.
